Effect of a single in ovo injection of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on protein expression in liver and ovary of the one-day-old chick analyzed by fluorescent two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry

The polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbon 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an ubiquitously distributed environmental pollutant which can induce a broad spectrum of toxic responses in animals, including birds. In this study, we investigated the impact of 0 or 20 ng TCDD injections into the yolk of chicken eggs before start of development, on liver and ovarian protein expression in hatchlings using fluorescent two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2-D-DIGE) under a pH range of 4-7, combined with MS. Despite considerable interindividual variability, exposure to TCDD prior to the start of embryonic development resulted in significant changes in expression of a small set of proteins. Expression of fibrinogen gamma chain precursor in the liver and 60 kDa heat shock protein in the ovary were significantly higher as a result of the very early exposure to TCDD. NADH ubiquinone oxidoreductase (42 kDa subunit) and regucalcin expression was decreased by early TCDD treatment in the liver and ovary, respectively. These proteins could not be directly linked with drug metabolism per se but are involved in blood clotting, oxidative stress, electron transport, and calcium regulation. It remains to be elucidated how these changes in the hatchling might be linked to the observed long-term consequences during posthatch life of the chicken.     

Separating the effects of climate and vegetation on evapotranspiration along a successional chronosequence in the southeastern US

We combined Eddy‐covariance measurements with a linear perturbation analysis to isolate the relative contribution of physical and biological drivers on evapotranspiration (ET) in three ecosystems representing two end‐members and an intermediate stage of a successional gradient in the southeastern US (SE). The study ecosystems, an abandoned agricultural field [old field (OF)], an early successional planted pine forest (PP), and a late‐successional hardwood forest (HW), exhibited differential sensitivity to the wide range of climatic and hydrologic conditions encountered over the 4‐year measurement period, which included mild and severe droughts and an ice storm. ET and modeled transpiration differed by as much as 190 and 270 mm yr^?1, respectively, between years for a given ecosystem. Soil water supply, rather than atmospheric demand, was the principal external driver of interannual ET differences. ET at OF was sensitive to climatic variability, and results showed that decreased leaf area index (L) under mild and severe drought conditions reduced growing season (GS) ET (ET_GS) by ca. 80 mm compared with a year with normal precipitation. Under wet conditions, higher intrinsic stomatal conductance (g_s) increased ET_GS by 50 mm. ET at PP was generally larger than the other ecosystems and was highly sensitive to climate; a 50 mm decrease in ET_GS due to the loss of L from an ice storm equaled the increase in ET from high precipitation during a wet year. In contrast, ET at HW was relatively insensitive to climatic variability. Results suggest that recent management trends toward increasing the land‐cover area of PP‐type ecosystems in the SE may increase the sensitivity of ET to climatic variability.     

Spatial relationships between plant litter,gopher disturbance and vegetation at different stages of old‐field succession

Abstract. Fine‐scale spatial patterns of small mammal disturbances and local accumulation of plant litter were studied together with the spatial pattern of vegetation in different stages of old‐field succession at Cedar Creek Natural History Area, Minnesota, USA. Seven stands from one to 66 years old were sampled. Presence of living plant species, local soil disturbances by pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius) and plant litter accumulation were recorded in 10 cm × 10 cm contiguous microquadrats along elliptical transects. Spatial patterns and associations were analyzed using information theory models. Dominant grasses were spatially independent, while subordinate functional groups were strongly dependent on the existing patchwork of dominant species, plant litter and gopher disturbances. Litter had consistent negative associations with subordinate functional groups in all but the initial years. Gopher disturbances were abundant but had weak and variable associations with vegetation. These results suggest that gopher disturbance does not facilitate the colonization of native prairie species and that diversity can be improved by controlling litter accumulation in Minnesota old‐fields.     

Host plant toxins and unpalatability of Neacoryphus bicrucis (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae)

Abstract. 1. Host plant choice of the seed bug, Neacoryphus bicrucis Say (Hemiritera, Lygaeidae), was evaluated in four different Georgia habitats. N. bicrucis utilized only species of Senecio as host plants at a granite outcrop and at old fields on the coastal plain, in the piedmont, and in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
2. In laboratory tests N. bicrucis is distasteful to the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis Voight. Only six of ninety field-collected bugs were eaten in palatability trials while eighty-four of the remaining ninety attacked bugs were rejected by lizards without apparent harm. However, the bugs were palatable to Fowler's toads, Bufo woodhousei fowleri Hinckley, which ate all thirty-six bugs offered to them.
3. N. bicrucis selectively sequesters pyrrolizidine alkaloids from Senecio spp. These may cause the insects' distastefulness to green anoles. In palatability trials, lizards ate all twenty insects reared on sunflower seeds, Helianthus annus, but rejected all twenty reared on Senecio smallii.     

二倍体蔷薇FT基因序列多样性研究

以3个类群73个二倍体蔷薇属(Rosa)植物为材料,克隆获得其FLOWERING LOCUS T(FT)同源基因,并对该基因的编码区序列进行多态性分析以及多维尺度(MDS)聚类分析。结果显示,73个二倍体蔷薇植物的FT基因共检测到215个核苷酸多态性位点,其中包括214个SNP和1个缺失突变,平均185个碱基发生1次突变;氨基酸多态性分析结果显示共有35个氨基酸发生变异,平均379.6个氨基酸残基发生1次突变;突变位点统计分析结果发现39、258、426 bp位点是高频突变位点,其碱基由A或C突变为T。MDS聚类分析结果表明,3个类群FT基因编码区序列的碱基组内差异依次排序为:野生种月季组中国古老月季,氨基酸组内差异依次排序为:中国古老月季月季组野生种,推测中国古老月季在长期栽培驯化过程中,其FT基因可能经历了较强的人工选择压力,月季组的种和变种可能是古老月季的重要亲本来源。     

CLATHROMORPHUM NEREOSTRATUM (CORALLINALES,RHODOPHYTA): THE OLDEST ALGA?1

The longevity of organisms is intrinsically interesting and can provide useful information on their population structure and dynamics and the dynamics of associated communities. With the exception of perennial Laminariales that have rings in the stipe, the life spans of most perennial macroalgae are unknown or based on anecdotal observations. Using morphological analyses combined with the location and time of the rise in ¹⁴C from atmospheric nuclear testing within the thallus, we determined that the growth rate of a specimen of Clathromorphum nereostratum Lebednik from Adak Island was 0.30 mm·yr^?1, the 3⁰ bands within the thallus were annual, and the specimen sampled was 61–75 years old. Living crusts of this species from the same geographic region are reported to be up to 20 cm thick. Assuming our growth rate is typical, C. nereostratum can be approximately 700 years old, the oldest known living alga. This longevity and consistent banding within the thallus suggest that smaller scale sampling and additional chemical analyses of this alga could provide a detailed long‐term record of environmental variation at high latitudes in the North Pacific.     

有氧运动对老年大鼠胃肠动力及血清中胃促生长素、瘦素水平的影响

目的：探讨有氧运动对老年大鼠胃肠动力以及血清中胃促生长素（ghrelin）和瘦素（leptin）的影响。方法：雄性SD大鼠45只,分为青年对照组、老年对照组以及老年有氧运动组（n=15）。老年有氧运动组采用递增负荷的方式进行8周跑台运动。实验过程中连续观察并记录各组大鼠的摄食量、体重以及行为学特征;实验结束测定各组大鼠胃排空速率以及小肠推进比,血清Ghre-lin和Leptin。结果：与青年对照组相比,老年对照组大鼠摄食量、胃排空速率、小肠推进比、血清Ghrelin水平明显降低,体重、体脂和Leptin水平显著升高;与老年对照组相比,老年有氧运动组大鼠摄食量、胃排空速率、小肠推进比、血清Ghrelin水平明显升高,体重、体脂和Leptin水平明显降低。结论：有氧运动能促进老年大鼠食欲、提高胃肠动力、改善身体成分,其保护机制可能与血清中Ghrelin含量升高和Leptin含量降低有关。     

Discovery of a relict lineage and monotypic family of passerine birds

Analysis of one of the most comprehensive datasets to date of the largest passerine bird clade, Passerida, identified 10 primary well-supported lineages corresponding to Sylvioidea, Muscicapoidea, Certhioidea, Passeroidea, the ‘bombycillids’ (here proposed to be recognized as Bombycilloidea), Paridae/Remizidae (proposed to be recognized as Paroidea), Stenostiridae, Hyliotidae, Regulidae (proposed to be recognized as Reguloidea) and spotted wren-babbler Spelaeornis formosus. The latter was found on a single branch in a strongly supported clade with Muscicapoidea, Certhioidea and Bombycilloidea, although the relationships among these were unresolved. We conclude that the spotted wren-babbler represents a relict basal lineage within Passerida with no close extant relatives, and we support the already used name Elachura formosa and propose the new family name Elachuridae for this single species.